Expectations
by birthdaychat
Summary: It was just a diplomatic and peace relation mission, long, hard, not to mention boring, but simple. Then a string of murders start happening, and the mission goes into a completely unexpected direction. HIATUS
1. A mission to Suna

**Expectations**

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Summary:It was just a diplomatic and peace relation mission, long, hard, and boring but simple, but then a string of murders start happening, & the mission goes into a completely unexpected direction. Not that anything can ever be expected, not when you're Hinata.

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**o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter One:**

_Hinata:_

I munched on a cinnamon bun happily, happy to be back home after the long mission I had been on with Kiba and Shino. The savory taste melted on my taste buds and I sighed happily. The sugar always put me in my happy place.

I was sitting outside on a park bench, enjoying the nice weather, and eating my favourite snack. The sky was that perfect shade of blue, the clouds were white and fluffy, lazily floating across the sky, green grass shining, and there was a warm breeze accompanying the warm rays of the sun. I relaxed and sighed again, it was the perfect day today.

My hair was up in a pony tail and it blew in the wind, the long, midnight-blue strands flowing behind me. I closed my eyes and turned to lye on bench horizontally, resting my head down. This was the li-

"Hinaya Hyuga!"

I shot up, eyes flying open, cinnamon bun falling onto the ground, and whirled around, not _entirely_ graceful.

An ANBU, cricket-masked, stood before me. I flushed as I stood up (no Chunin should have a reaction like _that_) and barely managed to maintain eye contact.

"Y-yes?" I cursed, great, I had to stutter too?

Thankfully the ANBU had no outward reaction, "Report to the Hokage's tower. The fifth Hokage is requesting you."

I nodded, adopting the Hyuga mask, and watched the ANBU flit away. Only when the ANBU was gone did I relax, and let my eyebrows furrow. I had just returned from a 2-week mission with Kiba and Shino, what did Tsunade want with me right now?

I sighed, and looked at the ground forlornly. Poor cinnamon bun, just lying there on the ground...alone and half-eaten. It wasn't too dirty though, just a little dust that I could wipe away with my shirt. I didn't want to waste food...I bent downwards, wasn't there something like a 5 second rule anyway? I'm sure it would be fine if I just-

"_Ahem_."

I turned around and saw a disapproving grandma staring down at me, nose crinkled. She glared down at me as I stared at her in apprehension.

I laughed nervously, cheeks reddening, "J-just stretching, haha. Working my core, you know. A ninja's got to stay in shape." I touched my toes for effect ( pretending that I had not just been bending down to pick up a fallen cinnamon bun to eat), but the grandma just sniffed and walked past me, nose in the air.

"That was embarrassing," I groaned, smacking myself mentally, but I quickly shook myself, I had to go to Tsunade's office.

I made my way to the Hokage's tower by jumping from roof to roof, and finally entering in through the door, smiling at Shizune and TonTon. I saw Tsunade sitting in her chair, and surprisingly, Shikamaru. He blinked upon seeing me, but otherwise showed no other outward signs of surprise. He was lounged on an arm-chair his Chunin vest dirty and hair matted. He had probably just gotten back from a mission.

"Hi Hinata," Tsunade greeted me warmly, "Take a seat."

I smiled and sat down, saying a quick greeting to Shikamaru. He gave me a tired smile in response, closing his eyes after.

"Have any idea what we're here for?" His eyes were still closed.

"No idea," I shrugged.

"I'm sending you on a mission, " Tsunade announced, brandishing a folder, or rather two in front of us.

We raised our eyebrows, wasn't that to be expected?

Tsunade wasn't finished, "To Suna on a diplomatic and peace relation mission."

I blinked, confused, but Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.

"How long would this mission be?" And then it clicked. Diplomatic and peace relation missions were _always_ extremely long missions, lasting up to to what could be a decade or so. My eyes widened,_no_...

Tsunade grimaced, "That's the thing, we don't know."

"How can you not know, Tsunade-sama?" I asked, politely, restraining myself from yanking at my hair. _No, no, NO!_

"We don't know. Suna and Konoha are still recovering from the war, and now is a good time to strengthen our peace relations. As well we have to discuss trades and negotiations between the nations." Her face had an uncomfortable expression on it and I was tempted to question her but I held back, still shocked by the realization that I could be away from Konoha for years.

Konoha was my home, and I had just been getting along on good terms with my family, Hanabi finally seeing me as her older, role model of a sister. I couldn't just let that be ripped away from me, all my hard work, not to mention I was being named heir...

As if reading my thoughts Tsunade turned to me, "I'm sorry Hinata, I know this means that you'll have to give up your title as heir." Her tone was sympathetic but it didn't help.

Shikamaru turned to me, "They named you heir?" His voice wasn't surprised, and that brought a small smile onto my lips. It was nice knowing that someone wasn't surprised at my being named heir, that they made it seem like it was something that was always going to happen.

"I was keeping it a surprise, until after the official ceremony, but as you can see that won't be happening now." My smile had faded and I lowered my eyes onto the ground, forcing myself not to pout. I didn't want to be seen as a cry baby, I had seen enough of that in the past.

I had been so excited to finally feel recognized, to feel strong and _worthy _of something, but I couldn't complain. I had a great life with loving family and friends, and not being heir was something I would just have to work with.

I swallowed a lump in my aching throat, and gave a smile, "It's fine. Could we hear the details of the mission, please?" I thanked the Gods that I didn't stutter.

Tsunade welcomed the change of topic, "Of course, " she ruffled through some papers, before looking back up, "You and Shikamaru will set out tomorrow at 5:00 AM in order to reach Suna in time. There you'll be greeted by the Kazekage and his family. You'll be there to promote the peace, help out, and discuss the trades and negotiations. I'll be giving each of you a package that will go in detail about your certain responsibilities. Nothing is to be rushed, and you are not allowed to view the package until after you have reached, understood?"

We nodded, taking our packages.

"Good," Tsunade sighed, sinking into her chair and fingering a bottle of sake, "I'm sorry about this, I really am. It's not easy, and missions like these need to be handled with the utmost care. I needed ninjas who were intelligent, skillful, and know about the type of politics and can conduct themselves civilly. Obviously you two were the perfect choice, both of you being respectively intelligent and belonging to clans, so you at least have a basis level of politics. Not to mention that you both have exceptional skills."

"Thank-you Tsunade-sama," we accepted the praise gratefully but Tsunade waved it off.

"Don't thank me, I know how much missions like these suck. They're long, hard, and boring." Her smile was bitter.

We couldn't argue with that because they _were_ long, hard, and boring.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled.

"Is there anything else we need to know?" I asked, hoping to leave as I didn't want to stay and hear more about the mission.

Tsunade drummed the desk with her fingers, "I don't think so, the packages will go in detail about what you have to do. The most I can say is try to befriend the people. You don't know how long this mission is going to take and it'll be easier for the both of you if you had good company in the time you're staying."

We nodded, thanked her, and stood up to leave.

"See you off at 5:00 AM, " Tsunade waved as we left.

I said good-bye to Shikamaru as we separated.

"See ya'" He replied back, before disappearing into the shadows which wasn't that surprising, seeing as how he could control them.

I jumped down from the roof, and slowed down to a walk as I neared the compound. When I got there I would have to inform my Father about my mission, and than all the forms would have to be edited so it would be Hanabi's name instead of mine. I would have to tell Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai-sensei about my mission, and face all the good-byes. I sighed, not looking forward to any of it.

Life had been going so well, everything had been falling into place, but this mission had changed everything. My puzzle was broken and all my pieces had been scattered. I told myself not to whine, I wasn't the only one having to deal with it. Shikamaru must be having a hard time too, he had a clan and a team as well.

I reached the compound, and with a nod to the guards, walked in. I ran my fingers through my hair and steeled myself. I couldn't act this way in front of Father, I had to act like the perfect Hyuga. Calm, emotionless, and knowing where my duty lay. I had to accept what I had to do and do it. I had to face the reality of my situation and own it. I had to-

I groaned, I couldn't do _any_ of this. It was easier said than done. I had had no backbone for stuff like this years ago, and was just growing one. Why couldn't I just leave and not say good-bye to anyone? It'd be easier...but it wouldn't be right. I sighed, they were my family and friends, and they deserved a proper good-bye. Besides I had no idea how long I'd be gone, and I wanted to make sure I parted on good terms. Nothing would tear me up more than realize that I had a broken friendship with someone.

I sighed once again before straightening my back, putting on my Hyuga mask, and walked to my Father's door. I knocked three times, each knock sharp and precise.

"Come in." His voice was emotionless, flat, and demanding, the voice of the Hyuga clan leader, something I was _never _going to become, even when I had proven that I could.

I took a deep breath, shook away my emotions, and stepped in.

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A/N: The two main pairings are GaaHina and ShikaTema.

Hope you enjoyed! ^_^

...Thoughts?


	2. Arrival in Suna

**Expectations**

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Summary: It was just a diplomatic and peace relation mission, long, hard, and boring, but simple, but then a string of murders start happening, & the mission goes into a completely unexpected direction. When a murder shows an obvious signal of hate towards the Kazekage things only get worse.

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_Hinata:_

I sighed when I entered my room, collapsing on my bed without even bothering to change my clothes. I was mentally drained, and wanted nothing better to do than sleep.

The talk with my father had been neutral, which counted as a blessing for me as most talks had always been bad news for me in the past. We had made arrangements that for now Hanabi would be renamed heir, but if I returned before she turned 18 then I would be given another chance to regain the title.

That gave me 7 years. A diplomatic couldn't last _that _long...could it?

"My life is over!" I groaned dramatically, flopping over so that I lay on my back. The package was sitting on my desk, and I looked over at it, tempted to open it. I restrained myself, however, remembering Tsunade's orders.

_Relax Hinata, _I forcefully told myself, _it's just a diplomatic mission. They're _always _simple, so this should only take a year or so at the most. _

I repeated this a few more times, pounding it into my head before I finally I gave in to sleep, slipping into a world where I could eat all the cinnamon buns I wanted, and then some.

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><p>The next morning I got up extremely early, my nerves jumpy and frayed. I tried to take a relaxing shower, but it did nothing to help me. I gave up after a while, and stepped out, quickly changing into my ninja garb<strong>*<strong>, and heading downstairs to the kitchen.

I crept quietly downstairs so as to not wake the rest of the family. I had done my good-byes last night to my father, Neji, and Hanabi, all of them wishing me a safe mission.

The memory made me smile, back when I was 12 they used to tell me "Don't mess up. Remember you are a Hyuga, you have a reputation to uphold'. Now they were telling me to have a safe journey, as if they _believed _in me and my abilities.

It was a nice feeling to have, and there was a new spring in my step as I quickly ate my breakfast, shouldered my backpack (the package tucked safely inside), and stuffed my mouth with a cinnamon bun as I walked out the door.

I hadn't had time to say good-bye to my friends (after I had finished the talk with my father it had gotten quite late), so I left letters at their respective houses. I would have much rather said my good-byes personally, but there wasn't the time, and I didn't want to wake them all so early.

With all that done I sighed, and walked towards the gates. As I walked I looked around Konoha, and did my best to commit everything to memory. I didn't know how long it would be until I was back.

I blinked back tears, waves of home-sickness hitting me, until I forced myself to stop. Nothing had happened yet. There was no reason to cry. I was a Hyuga, a chunin, but most of all, a shinobi of the leaf. I could handle this.

I walked more determinedly, spotting Shikamaru at the gates after a few minutes.

"Hey," I said, jogging up to catch him, "Sorry, did I make you wait?"

"Nah,"he replied easily, "It doesn't matter anyway, want to set off now?"

"Sure, if we leave now we should arrive by early morning 2 days from now."

"Then let's go."

Hinata nodded and they set off.

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><p>Shikamaru made a surprisingly good companion, not that Hinata thought he would be awful, but as Hinata wasn't one of his close friends she had thought the silence would quickly become uncomfortable. That wasn't the case though, while they didn't talk continuously the silence was comfortable, and when the banter did come it was natural, easy, and flowed.<p>

Hinata was surprised she hadn't become close friends with Shikamaru before this.

_But I was_-no, she would not go down that road. What was in the past was history, she didn't want to waste anymore time thinking about it.

"Do you want to stop here?" She turned to see Shikamaru, motioning to a small valley, surrounded by scraggly flowers.

"Sure." They both got out small mats, and lay there, snacking on some rations, and sipping water. Occasionally talking, but for the most part enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that could only be found in the desert.

That was how the next day went, Hinata and Shikamaru getting to know more about each other on the way. The talk was always light and airy, and on the last day Shikamaru told Hinata why this mission was a blessing in disguise for him.

"I'm going to propose to Temari."

Hinata halted, and looked at Shikamaru in surprise. "Really?" She didn't want to sound mean, but Shikamaru wasn't considered a 'lazy-ass' (as stated by Ino) for nothing. She had thought it would have taken him years to propose.

"Yeah," he admitted, "I know it's surprising, and we're both really young, but..." He trailed off, and Hinata didn't need to hear anything else to understand. A ninja's life was hard, and most died young, in battle. That's why if ninja married, they married young. You never knew what was going to happen next, you couldn't afford to waste any time.

Every day was precious.

"That's wonderful," she said softly,"Congratulations. Temari will say yes for sure."

"You think so?" His eyes were full of hope, and Hinata was suddenly struck by how much younger and happier he looked when he thought of Temari. His face seemed to glow, and there was a kind of happiness in his eyes that made Hinata feel like she was seeing something private, something that shouldn't be seen by just anyone.

"Absolutely."

"The only problem are her brothers," Shikamaru gave a wry grin, looking like the thought didn't perturb him at all (which in all likeliness he didn't).

"Gaara and Kankuro." Hinata remembered them, seeing as she was Temari's best friend she saw them fairly often, "They'll be somewhat of a problem."

For the first time Shikamaru looked mildly confused, "Hm?" She concluded that he thought they'd be a much bigger problem.

"Well," Hinata tried to explain,"Kankuro will give you a talk, but he'll only be somewhat serious. He'll be extremely happy for his sister. Gaara, though, while he'll be happy for his sister, will be extremely strict around you."

Gaara had changed a lot over the years, thanks to Naruto's faith and friendship. He had become a wonderful Kazekage that cared for his people, and wasn't homicidal _in the least_. He was patient, humourous at times, and, though, he didn't talk very much he was a good companion.

And handome-um...forget she said that. _Cough_.

He was also a protective brother, the Sand siblings were very close-knit, and Gaara loved his siblings to death. Even though Temari was older he was extremely protective over her, which was why she chose not to fulfill him with details concerning her relationship with Shikamaru. While she was technically the oldest, at times Gaara was still the leader.

Shikamaru's expression remained determined, "It doesn't matter. I...love Temari." His cheeks tinted at that, but Hinata thought it was very sweet.

"Temari is very lucky to have someone like you in her life." Shikamaru blushed harder, and looked away with a muttered "Thank-you", and Hinata wisely didn't say anything else, though she did smile wider.

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><p>At last, after a few more hours, Hinata and Shikamaru arrived at Suna's gates (as predicted, it was early in the morning). And there, waiting for them, were the Sand Siblings. Temari grinned, and waved, running up to meet them.<p>

"Hinata!" She hugged her fiercely, and the two girls grinned at each other, "It's so nice to see you again!" Hinata nodded in agreement, it really had been a while.

"I can't believe you got this mission! I was so happy when I found out! Don't worry, you'll get to stay with us in the tower! Though..." her face turned sympathetic, "it must be hard to move away from all your friends and family, not knowing when you'll return."

Hinata's face crumpled slightly, "It is, but I _am _a ninja, so...it'll be fine."

"I admire you Hinata," Temari said wonderingly, "If I had to be separated from my brothers I would throw a fit."

Behind Hinata Shikamaru coughed.

"It would be difficult," she agreed, "But...nothing," she shook her head. She wanted to say more, but that would be giving too much away, and Temari had to do this with Shikamaru. She couldn't ruin the surprise.

"Alright, I'll discuss with you more later," her expression quickly flickered, but Hinata couldn't identify the expression that had appeared, "but, now I think I'll catch up with Shikamaru." Saying this, she quickly looked back and grinned, running to hug Shikamaru.

"Miss me?" She said, pretending to be overly haughty and smirking. Hinata turned away before she could see Shikamaru's reply, walking ahead to greet the two brothers. "Hi Kankuro, Gaara."

"Hinata!" Kankuro grinned, bounding up to hug her. She would have blushed at the contact, but she was used to it. When he finally let her go they burst into mutual laughter.

"It's great to see you again!" He exclaimed, "I've been working on a Gaara-puppet, I think you would love it!"

"A Gaara-puppet?" She was amused.

"Yes, he thinks it's quite funny." Gaara's voice was dry as he walked towards Hinata.

"Hinata." Gaara smiled at her, and they shook hands. Hinata smiled in return, glad to see him again.

"Well, I can't wait to see it." Kankuro grinned, while Gaara looked exasperated.

"So, shall we go?"

She nodded, falling in step with Gaara, Kankuro ahead of them, Temari and Shikamaru behind.

Soon both Gaara and Hinata were talking quite animatedly about how to grow roses (Gaara was a secret rose-lover).

"You _cannot_ grow a white rose without the support of the dog rose!" Hinata shook her head vehemently, "It's simply not done!"

"Please," he retorted, "A white rose does not the dog rose. That's just a simple myth."

The two started lightly arguing again, and as they walked towards the tower Hinata was struck by how much she enjoyed his company. She had talked to him before, but it was now that she realized that she enjoyed it much more than most other conversations she had.

_This...this is nice. _

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A/N: AH, it's been so long! Sorry, vacation has taken up a lot of my time, you see, but no worries I still posted! For you guys ^_^ Hope you enjoyed the second chapter!

(*) Hinata's ninja outfit is different in my story than the one she wears in Shippuden. Here she wears black capris that stop just before her knees, a lavender sliced skirt (basically there's four flaps, one front, one behind, and two on the side), a black t-shirt, and a short, lavender vest. She has black ninja sandals, and her hair is the same style although she wears it in a high pony-tail with two strands framing her face. As well Hinata wears bandages starting from her ankles and ending a few inches before the end of her knees. She also wears fish net on her arms, starting a few inches before her elbows and ending a few inches before her wrists.

Thanks for reading! :D Constructive criticism is always appreciated!


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